Antivirus Firms Short-Changing Customers

Barence writes "Two leading security firms have been accused of ripping off customers by cutting short their antivirus subscriptions. AVG and Symantec are offering their own customers discounts on subscriptions via email or pop-ups, but the new subscriptions start immediately, 'short-changing' users who had months left on their existing deal. Both Symantec and AVG owned up to the practice, and said they had no plans to change their ways, instead advising their customers to upgrade as close as possible to the end of the subscription. However, the pair actively send out emails and pop-up messages that encourage customers to upgrade immediately."

Comments

Re:Windows - Microsoft

[Anonymous Coward]

it works better than Norton and McAfee

Really setting the bar up high, aren't you.

Not in my experience

[DaveWick79]

As a reseller of AVG, I have never experienced an upgrade license behaving in this manner.

If the end-user is unintelligent enough to purchase a brand new license direct with AVG, of course they will get a brand new license that starts on the date they purchase it.

However, if they renew an existing license, the license always renews from the existing expiration date, AND they often tack on a few extra days or weeks to the license. Even if they are renewing and also upgrading to a different version (say, Antivirus to Internet Security), the license is upgraded, they are charged the prorated upgrade price based on time left on the existing subscription, and then the renewal year(s) are added.

So if you are getting short changed, it's your own fault, not the vendor.

Re:Avast also

[Beardo the Bearded]

You realize that MSE is tested as the best, lightest, cheapest AV solution available, right?

I used to use AVG until it got spammy. Then I used Avast! until MSE came out and it tested better. (I use Linux and my brain as my main AV products...)